Love, Fear, and Hate
by MiniShot
Summary: This story takes place right after "BOTL", Disclaimer. Focused on the complications in Percy's love life. Did I mention...PERCABETH! Includes bits of Perachel too! Slightly romantic but definitely not fluffy!
1. Chapter 1

**Percy's POV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

It had been two weeks since my departure from camp and I still couldn't stop thinking about it. The way Annabeth had seemed so distant. The way I couldn't (as usual) tell her how I felt. Wait a minute…how I felt? Where did that come from? Me and Annabeth were just friends….right? Whatever, I had bigger problems on my mind right now than my relationship with Annabeth.

"Percy…PERCY!" my mom yelled loudly

"U, Huh" I mumbled, slightly confused.

"I've been calling you for the last two minutes. You seem worried, is there something you want to tell me?" asked my mom.

"N….No" I stammered.

My mom looked at me doubtfully but decided not to push me. "Okay then tell me why you came home at 1 o'clock in the morning!" my mom exclaimed.

"Oh…I'm sorry mom, Rachel asked me to help her on her Geography Project and we were working so hard that I lost track of time" I said quietly.

"LOST TRACK OF TIME! Do you have any idea how worried I was! You never even left a note for me! You could've been kidnapped for all I knew!" shouted my mom angrily.

After a few moments of awkward silence the tension in the air collapsed as we both burst out laughing.

"Kidnapped mom? You should know that me being kidnapped is the least of your concerns. Now crushed by a monster that sounds more reasonable." I said trying to suppress my smile.

My mom struggled to put her stern face on again but it obviously wasn't working. I smiled, relieved that the tension in the air had dissolved.

"Percy I'm being serious now, next time make sure to leave a note or at least call me before going out" my mom stated her smile changing to a frown.

"Okay mom, I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me," I replied.

"Apology accepted. Now go to sleep, it's really late" my mom ordered.

I wished my mom goodnight and walked to my room, closing the door behind me. I quickly changed into my pyjamas and slid into my bed lazily. In spite of how tired when I lay down my mind was still reeling with thoughts. The trip to Rachel house had left me dazed and confused. I still remember the _incident _as clear as day.

"_This project is impossible!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in defeat._

"_No it's not impossible, it's just challenging that's all" Rachel declared._

"_And look, you helped me finish almost three quarters of it. If I work diligently tomorrow then I should be done in…." Rachel said._

"_A matter of hours..." I sighed. _

"_Whatever Percy at least we're done tonight's work" Rachel said forcing a smile._

"_Yeah….." I said unenthusiastically._

"_Oh my gods! It's 1 o'clock already! My mom is going to kill me! I forgot to leave a note too!" I swore. I quickly grabbed my coat and slipped on my shoes. _

"_Hey Percy…" Rachel said as I was about to leave._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Thanks for helping me, I don't know what I would've done without you" Rachel said quietly. _

"_No Problemo, what are friends for right?" I smiled._

_Then she did the most random thing ever. As I turned to leave, she kissed me full on the lips. I stood rigid, completely shocked. Even though it was only for a second, I felt as if my whole world had been flipped up side down. _

"_I'm so sorry Percy," she stuttered as she started to blush as red as an apple. _

_I had no clue what to say. I knew that I didn't like Rachel that way but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. So I said the first thing that came to mind. "It's okay…I don't mind," I replied. _

_As soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted it. I had accidently given Rachel the idea that I liked her back. She looked down at her feet and smiled shyly._

"_Umm...I gotta go...so cya" I said horrified at what I'd just done. _

"_Bye Percy" she said as she closed the door. _

**PLZ Review! I want to know if my story/writing is any good or not before continuing. This is my first Fanfiction so I'm going to need some constructive criticism. **

**Thank You to everyone who reviews. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Percy's POV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

I woke up in a daze. It's hard to wake up normally when you've just had tortured nightmares. I dare you to wake up happily if you've just seen yourself kissing your best friend and then seeing her transform into a blood thirty monster. After a few unsuccessful attempts to go back to sleep, I decided to get up. I slowly slid out from under the sheets, wincing from the sudden cold hitting my body and dragged myself out of bed. After the pitiful excuse I call brushing my teeth, I trudged down to the kitchen.

"Mornin' Mom" I said grumpily as I saw my mom slipping on her shoes in a hurry.

"Hey, sweetie. I have to go; I'm going to be late for work. I'm sorry but I didn't have time to cook anything so just fix yourself something" said my mom hurriedly. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and left.

I walked lazily to counter to fix myself a bowl of Nesquik cereal (I live off that stuff). As I sat down to eat I started to realize how difficult it was going to be to talk to Rachel after last night's _incident_. I groaned just as the phone rang.

I already knew who it was before I even picked up. "Hey Rachel" I said halfheartedly.

"Hi Percy, umm…I was just wondering if you're mad at me for last night" she said rather quickly. Looks like she didn't waste any time bringing that up. This time I had to tell her that we were just friends or I'd end up hurting her even more. "I'm not mad Rachel; it's just that…well I want us to be just friends, nothing more." I sighed, finally managing to tell the truth.

"Oh" she mumbled, obviously surprised. "Okay Percy; I'm not going to force you to do something your not comfortable with. And hey I want to make it up to you, how would you like to go skating this afternoon?" She asked tenderly. "It wouldn't be a date or anything you know…just as friends" she added nervously.

"Sure why not?" I smiled.

"Great, meet me at Iceland arena in an hour. Bye" she chimed happily. I could tell she was smiling even over the phone. "Later" I replied. I was starting to think that everything was going to work out fine. Boy was I wrong.

An hour later, I walked up the front stairs of Iceland Arena where Rachel stood waiting for me. "Hey Percy, ready to go?" she asked. "Ready as ever" I replied enthusiastically.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the terrible smell. The arena smelled strongly of sweat and adrenaline both of which cause my stomach to do back flips. As soon as I followed Rachel into the rink, I knew this had been a bad idea. I slipped and did a face plant right onto the ice. I felt the blood rush to my face as I struggled to come to a sitting position. I sighed when I realized that Rachel had her back turned and missed my spectacular entrance. The first word that came to my mind when I saw Rachel skating was "Wow". She skated fast yet gracefully and boy was I jealous. After spitting out the last of the ice in my mouth I called her. Rachel looked at me on the ground and skated over to me looking concerned.

"Did I mention that I can't skate" I mumbled nervously. Then she burst into laughter and helped me up. "It's not funny" I said fake pouting. She grinned and said "well good thing I'm here to teach you. It's really not that hard". And for the next two hours Rachel Elizabeth Dare taught me how to skate. By the end of the two hours I felt like this hadn't been such a bad idea after all. Rachel turned out to be a brilliant teacher too, she even had enough patience to teach a guy like me (trust me when I say you need A LOT of patience to teach me). Turns out her efforts paid off and she'd actually taught me to skate decently. I wasn't the best, but I knew it was a start.

We walked off the ice cracking up at a joke I'd just made. "Percy" she exclaimed still laughing. "Want to go grab something to eat? My treat" she said kindly.

"Sounds like a plan" I smiled, happy that the tension between us had completely gone.

We sat down in a nearby Pizza Hut and ordered our food. As we waited for our food, we reflected on some memories of the labyrinth and had a few laughs. Our food soon arrived and both of us were so hungry that the conversation was drowned out by chewing noises. When I was done, I was full and content enough to wait patiently for Rachel to finish. We ended up talking for a few hours after eating and boy did time fly.

"Hey Rachel, thanks for understanding when I said we should just be friends" I said. I hesitated then added "I really appreciate it". Rachel just smiled as if she knew something I didn't and I got the feeling that she wasn't going to give up that easily. This wasn't going to be as simple as I thought.

After we left she asked me to walk her home and me being the gentleman I am, agreed. It was about 6 o'clock, wow I didn't realize how much time we had spent eating. As I started to walk her home I felt Rachel grab my hand. She looked at me with a glossy look in her eye. I abandoned common sense and decided that her hands were cold and she just wanted to warm them up. Besides, friends can hold each others hands right? She seemed happy that I hadn't let go of her hand. We walked the rest of the way holding hands in a comfortable silence.

When we reached her house and she turned around and said "Thanks Percy, you're a really good friend". I smiled and couldn't help but notice how beautiful her eyes looked in the setting sun. Ahh! Snap out of it. Your just friends remember?! "Umm…ya cya" I mumbled. I gulped as I walked away faster than necessary.

I reached home to find that my mom wasn't home yet. Phew. I forgot to write a note this time as well. I made a mental note to remember that next time. I slipped my jeans off and changed into something more comfortable. As I lay down lazily on the couch I started to think about my girl problems. After some thinking I decided that believing a girl was pretty wasn't the same as actually liking her. That meant I didn't like Rachel but somehow I knew that Annabeth was different. For the first time, I felt a stab of pain because of the way she ignored me the last time I saw her. What was happening to me? I had plenty of crushes before but never on my best friend. This seemed even stronger than a crush…was I…was I falling in love? NO! My mind screamed but as much I tried to fight it, I knew it was true. I was in love with…Annabeth Chase.

**How do you guys like it? I tried to incorporate the advice I received from the reviews. I still need review guys! PLZ Review and help a new writer in need!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm really sorry I didn't update sooner guys! I just finished my exams (FINALLY!) and I honestly forgot about the story. I'll try to update faster next time. :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

"Percy, wake up!" someone shouted.

I mumbled something intelligent like "hrmh," and pulled up my covers. In one smooth motion my sheets were ripped off me, exposing my suddenly cold body.

"Mom!" I complained indignantly as I slowly opened my eyes.

"C'mon Percy, it's nearly eleven o'clock. I'm giving you half an hour to get ready…that is, unless you don't want to go to camp," my mom smiled. She turned and walked out of the room, still clutching my sheets.

Camp. How could I have forgotten? The school year had passed by so quickly I didn't even notice that it was time to go to camp. A sudden happiness filled me, I was going to the one place in the world I loved, the one place where I had friends, the one place where I truly belonged. Then again, there was the matter of…Annabeth. She hadn't answered a single one of my emails, phone calls, IM's, you name it. I had wasted 15 drachmas trying to contact her to no avail. I tried to be angry at her but the very prospect of seeing her again made my heart melt.

I yawned and quickly flung myself out of bed. After a particularly long shower, I picked out a pair of lights jeans and a preppy-looking Hurley t-shirt to wear. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the kind of guy that was obsessed with fashion, my mom had bought me a couple of shirts for my birthday (They'll look great on you!). I had never worn one before but I had to admit I looked pretty decent in it. After several failed attempts at combing my uncontrollable hair, I quickly put on some deodorant and marched down to the kitchen.

"Good, your awa….." my mom stuttered. "Wow Percy, I have to admit that shirt looks wonderful on you," my mom smiled. She sniffed the air suspiciously "It that deodorant? What's the special occasion?" she asked, smiling innocently.

I blushed right down to my Adam's apple. Crap, how was I going to get out of this one? "I just thought I'd wear something nicer today" I said, trying to look nonchalant. My mom didn't buy it for a second. Damn. Her eyes twinkled knowingly, as she handed me a bowl of cereal.

When I finished wolfing down my breakfast, I grabbed a duffel bag and headed out to the car hurriedly. After shoving my bag carelessly into the trunk of my mom's dark blue corolla, I sat down inside and tapped my foot impatiently. "Someone's very patient today," my mom mumbled sarcastically. An uneventful 45 minutes later, we arrived at the foot of half blood hill.

I stepped out of the car and seized my duffel bag from the trunk. "Thanks for the ride Mom," I said, leaning in for a quick kiss.

"Have a good time, sweetie," my mom smiled.

Just as I turned around…

"Percy!" my mom exclaimed.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning back around.

"Try not to go on a quest this summer, sweetie. Four is more than enough" my mom said grinning.

I grinned back and said "I'll try not to mom but no promises." With that I turned and ran up the hill exhilarated that I was finally back at camp. As I reached the top of the hill I stood beside Thalia's tree and looked down at the place I loved. The big house still standing tall, the lush strawberry fields, the gleaming amphitheatre…everything was just as wonderful as I remembered.

I sprinted to the big house and not to my surprise found Chiron and Mr. D involved in a game of pinochle. "Ahh Percy, welcome back" Chiron chimed merrily. Mr.D hardly looked up before saying "So you're back, are you?"

I grinned before saying "Good to be back." Nothing could've dampened my spirits today, not even Mr.D's attitude towards me. They returned to their game as I bounded down to my cabin.

On my way, I passed a couple of Ares campers that (as usual) gave me dirty looks. Surprisingly, Clarisse was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, that just made my day even better. I threw my bag hastily into my cabin and walked back outside looking for Annabeth. After peering into the arts and crafts room, the amphitheatre, the dining pavilion and pretty much every building in the camp, I gave up my "hunt for Annabeth". I slowly wandered down to the beach to watch the setting sun.

I took off my shoes and sat down on the beach, allowing the silky sand to slip through my toes. The sunset looked absolutely beautiful, the last light from the sun playing on the ocean.

"Perccy, myyy maannn" someone bleated.

I turned around to see my best friend Grover. "What's up G-man?" I asked.

"Nothing much, how bout' you?" he replied as he sat down next to me.

"Nothing really other than the fact that I managed to go a whole year without blowing up my school," I grinned.

"Wow, this calls for a celebration" he exclaimed sarcastically.

I punched him lightly on the arm and asked "Hey, have you seen Annabeth?"

"Ya, I just talked to her a little while ago," he replied.

"But I looked everywhere and I couldn't find her!" I stuttered.

"Did you check her cabin?" Grover asked doubtfully.

"OH! Umm…I sort of forgot" I said sheepishly.

Grover burst out laughing and my face started to go red. "Alright man I'll see you later, I have to go meet Juniper" he smiled. He stood up, dusted off his jeans and left. It was getting dark so I decided I would talk to Annabeth tomorrow. I reached my cabin just as I curfew horn sounded.

An hour later, I still couldn't sleep. My head was literally swimming with thoughts. After abandoning my unsuccessful attempts at sleeping, I got up off my bed, slipped on a hoodie and sneaked silently down to the beach. The water looked so calm and inviting in the striking moonlight. As I neared the water, I realized that someone was already sitting on beach. I silently cursed and snuck stealthily towards the mysterious figure. As I got closer I immediately recognized the person as Annabeth.

I sighed inwardly and cautiously walked up behind her. She was still oblivious to my presence and was gazing intensely at the stars. She looked beautiful and innocent in the dull moonlight and I almost wanted to stay here and watch her all night. I slowly stepped forward and said "Hi, Annabeth"

**Does that count as a cliffy? LOL **

**PLZ review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey people, this chapter was so hard to write for some reason! Whatever. Plz Review!! Reviews make me strangely happy! xD**

**Disclamer: I do not own PJO!**

She spun around swiftly and expertly tackled me into the sand. Within seconds she had wrestled me into some sort of judo/tai-kwon-do hold. One of her hands was clamped tightly on my neck while the other got ready to throw a punch.

"Anna…beth...I can't breathe," I choked.

"Oh my gods! Percy!" she gasped as she let go of my neck.

"Wow is this how you greet all your friends, wise girl?" I demanded, stroking my neck gingerly, trying to regain feeling.

"Well you should know better than to sneak up on me!" she exclaimed, punching me playfully. Then she gave me a hug that almost crushed my rib cage and broke my spine at the same time. Why did she always try to kill me with her affections?

"Jeez Annabeth, are you trying to kill me?" I asked jokingly, adjusting my shirt.

I was suddenly aware of the awkward position in which her body was on top of me. If anyone else were watching it would seem as if Annabeth was about to kiss me. Heat rose to my cheeks, as I became very uncomfortable. Gladly, it was dark and she probably couldn't see my tomato red face.

"Umm…wise girl, you can get off me now" I said, my cheeks burning.

"Oh…right, sorry," she muttered.

Her face went scarlet as she quickly scrambled off of me. I came to a sitting position beside her, my face still quite hot. Annabeth was suddenly very interested in her shoe and was avoiding my gaze.

"Sooo, how you been?" I asked, trying to clear up the awkwardness in the air.

"Fantastic" she mumbled sarcastically.

I looked away, slightly hurt. A few seconds later, I felt her warm hand on mine. My eyes darted from our hands to her face.

"Look, I'm sorry Percy. It's just that well, I didn't exactly have an easy year at home," she said, her eyes full of hurt.

I suddenly wanted to comfort her, to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything was going to be ok. My body had a mind of its own as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her towards me. To my surprise instead of moving away, she put her head on my shoulder, tears running down her beautiful face. On that very moment I decided something, I decided that I never wanted to see Annabeth cry again. I decided that until the day I died, I would never allow anything to make my Annabeth cry. Her wet tears fell gently onto my shirt, making it damp against my skin. I didn't care, all I cared about was making Annabeth feel better because when she was hurting, I was hurting. I hated to see her so broken-down…so weak like this.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?" I asked tenaciously.

"My stepmom…she died" she mumbled in between sobs.

"It's okay…everything's going to be fine," I whispered, desperately trying to comfort her.

"No. It's not okay! All this time I treated her like a bitch but in the end she still gave her life for me!" Annabeth cried.

"What happened?" I asked curiously.

"I was walking home from school and all of the sudden a hellhound appeared out of no where. I didn't have my knife with me so I tried to run for it but eventually it cornered me. I thought I was done for but as soon as it charged, I saw someone dive in front of me. The hellhound retreated and I saw that the mangled body lying in front of me was my stepmom. There was…so much blood" she cried before sobbing uncontrollably.

I couldn't think of anything to say that could comfort her so I hugged her tighter. Annabeth needed someone to lean **(lean on me, when your not strong…LOL awesome song!)** on and right now, I was it. I don't know how long we stayed in that position but it must've been at least an hour before we lay down and she fell asleep in my arms. This moment was absolutely perfect. What I would give to stay like this for all of eternity.

As much as I didn't want to, I gently tried to shake Annabeth awake. If we were found by the harpies right now…well let's not go into the details. After a dozen failed attempts at waking her up, Annabeth was still sleeping peacefully on my shoulder. I gently untangled myself from her embrace, only to have her snuggle up even closer to me seeking warmth. I smiled to myself, as a sudden bolt of inspiration hit me.

I shifted positions and somehow managed to unwrap myself from her arms. I leaned over and gently slipped my hands under her, picking her up bridal style. After one last gaze at the sea, I began trudging up the path leading to the cabins.

Damn, Annabeth didn't look it but this girl was heavy. My arms were starting to burn and I was starting to think that this wasn't such a good idea after all. C'mon halfway there! A thin bead of sweat broke out on my forehead as I finally gave in and slowly set her down on a patch of grass. I figured if I took a small break, I would be able to carry her to the Athena cabin without injuring myself.

As I started to recollect myself, I noticed Annabeth's expression change to a frown. She started to shiver and her breathing became ragged and forceful. I quickly leaned down next to her and grasped her hand. She was obviously having a nightmare. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, tears started rolling down her cheeks as she moaned nonsense words. I gently caressed her hand with my thumb and brought her closer to me. "Shhh…its okay, I'm right here…" I whispered soothingly.

Surely enough, her breathing regulated as she relaxed and became still and peaceful once more. I sighed loudly, that was a relief. What could she have been dreaming about? Whatever it was, it was enough to make her cry, even in her sleep. I quickly scooped her up into my arms and walked to the Athena cabin, a newfound energy coursing through my veins.

Just as I approached the cabin door, Annabeth shifted in my arms. She opened her beautiful gray eyes and smiled at me. "Hey seaweed brain," she yawned.

My face went crimson once more as I set her down and racked my brain for a way to explain why I had been carrying her. "Umm…you sort of fell asleep on the beach so I carried you here," I mumbled nervously.

"Why didn't you just wake me up?" she asked, trying to untangle her hair.

"I tried but you just wouldn't wake up," I explained.

She laughed and thanked me. "Wow seaweed brain, you must be getting pretty strong to be able to carry me all this way," she smiled.

"Well I don't mean to brag but…I am pretty ripped aren't I?" I joked.

She laughed and said "I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to hit the hay,"

"Okay, sleep tight, wise girl," I said before turning around and heading towards my cabin. On my way I found a sheet of paper on the ground saying "_Camp half-blood Dance fest! Got a girl you like? Ask her out to Camp half-blood's first Dance Fest! When you ask? Saturday, July 4__th__ down by the beach! Be there or be square!_ I chuckled drily at the last line, truly only someone from the Aphrodite cabin could have thought of something like that.

I tossed the paper aside in disgust, a dance? At camp half-blood? This is going to turn out worse than when Chiron tried to host a birthday party for an Ares camper in the big house. First of all no one showed up and second of all the party was egged by none other than the Ares cabin themselves. The whole camp smelled like rotten eggs for a week before Chiron finally got the Ares cabin to clean and repaint the big house.

I put the dance out of my mind as I walked inside, threw aside my shoes, and jumped into bed without bothering to undress. I lay there, trying to recreate that perfect moment with Annabeth in my mind. I suddenly remembered that with all the things that happened tonight, I forgot to ask Annabeth why she hadn't kept in touch with me all year. Whatever. I put that out of my mind and went back to re-enacting the perfect moment in my head as I slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep. For once, everything was just about perfect.

**Love it? Hate it? Plz Review! As I said before, reviews make me happy. xD Shouts out to my awesome reviewers ****olympianchef213, percabeth4ever, LiuKunLin, percabeth777, azngirl313****, DJ Tigeress, and everybody else who reviewed! **


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, wow it's really been a long time since I've come on Fanfiction. Reading this story again has brought back so many fond memories and made me laugh really hard. First off, I would like to extend an apology to everyone who was waiting for me to update this story. It's been over a year since I last updated and I know that's completely unacceptable. I should've at least had the courtesy to explain that I was taking a break from Fanfiction and no more updates should be expected. Once again, I'm sorry for my abrupt leave of Fanfiction.

Now, I have a decision to make. I can either choose to continue with this story or end my Fanfiction career with this apology. It's important for me to know how many people as of September 14, 2010, would like me to continue this story. If the demand is high or if I feel a sudden urge to write, I will continue.

To those who are wondering why I took a "break" from Fanfiction, it was mainly because my life got much busier. Between sports, friends, and school, I was finding it very hard to find time for Fanfiction. Now, I am in grade 11, and part of my English course includes creative writing. So finishing this story may be the perfect way to brush up on my storytelling abilities.

Please review with your opinions on whether I should return to Fanfiction!

Thanksss :)

-Minishot


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews in regards to my last message! I really appreciate them. However, I think it's time to call it quits with Fanfiction . I just don't feel the desire to write anymore, and as much as I hate to leave this story unfinished, I feel it's the right thing to do at this point. I apologize to anyone who was expecting updates and encourage everyone to write their own ending to this story! Thanks Fanfiction, it's been a hell of a ride (even though I've only written one story).

Cheers,

Minishot


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